Dan Barrett Wins Texas 97th

Report by Ed Sills, Texas AFL-CIO

Austin is a political town, and the Texas AFL-CIO is certainly tuned into politics, but it has been a very long time since one subject totally dominated a Christmas luncheon at our offices. Today, the topic of Dan Barrett's win in Texas House District 97 came moments after holiday wishes, except when it came before.

The main theme of the day, highlighted by Texas AFL-CIO President Becky Moeller below, is that if a labor-backed candidate can win in a district that is this uphill for progressives, the number of districts we pull out all the stops in should rise dramatically in 2008.

The notion floated in some media that Barrett won because Republicans sabotaged Mark Shelton in hopes of running a different candidate in 2008 seems more preposterous by the moment. One political expert pointed out to me that in a ridiculously low-turnout election like this one, it's hard enough to get voters to turn out on behalf of someone they support. The idea that you can get voters to turn out for someone they don't support makes
little sense and would likely produce votes only on the outer margins.

This was a turnout election, pure and simple. Many more of Barrett's first-round supporters showed up than Shelton's. Barrett's supporters had a mission of improving education and health care and moving away from partisan autocracy; Shelton's did not, as so-called "tort reform" and the mantra that all Democrats are "liberals" get more and more tired.

Barrett, who was outspent by at least two to one, expressed gratitude to the labor movement in his victory speech. Brother T.C. Gillespie reports that the candidate singled out the union turnout efforts by the CLC and Texas AFL-CIO as important factors in his victory.

Here's a draft of an article on the election for the next Texas AFL-CIO Labor News, including Sister Moeller's comments. An insightful column by Fort Worth Star-Telegram writer Bud Kennedy follows:

Labor-Backed Candidate Scores Big Upset

Dan Barrett Wins in Heavily Republican Texas House District 97

Democrat Dan Barrett, labor's endorsed candidate, scored a major upset in Texas House District 97 over Republican physician Mark Shelton in a Tarrant County election that sent tremors through the camp of House Speaker Tom Craddick.

Barrett won by a 52-48 percent margin, or 452 votes out of 10,530 total cast in unofficial returns. Barrett's election leaves Republicans with a 79-71 advantage, meaning Democrats need only gain five seats now instead of
six to have a majority. At one point in the aftermath of the 2001 redistricting, Republicans held 89 seats.

"This shows what happens when union members engage themselves in the election process and volunteer," Texas AFL-CIO President Becky Moeller said.

"In a district that had not elected a pro-worker candidate in some 30 years, we stepped up to the plate and contributed more than our share. If we can muster this kind of support in Dan Barrett's district, we can run a similarly strong program anywhere in Texas where a labor endorsement is made," Moeller said. "It is now time to aim higher to put more pro-worker candidates in office. Opportunity is knocking and ringing the doorbell, too."

The labor effort in the runoff was all-out. Between 1,700 and 1,800 union members were identified and each heard from union members about the election on multiple occasions by phone, by flyer, by mail or by personal contact.

Again, Brother T.C. Gillespie coordinated the union family contact program and Brother Tim Smith and the Machinists union provided their union hall as a staging point. Labor volunteers canvassed the district over several
weekends.

Barrett worked exceptionally hard on making personal contact with voters, making full use of a volunteer effort that he did not enjoy when he lost to retired state Rep. Anna Mowery in the 2006 election with just slightly over
40 percent of the vote.

On paper, the district was considered a near-60 percent lock for Republicans. Moeller heaped praise on the Tarrant County Central Labor Council.

"The Tarrant County CLC made a remarkable effort to turn out union family votes in a distinctly low-turnout environment," Moeller said.

"The numbers don't lie. The union turnout in the early vote portion of the runoff was almost identical to the turnout in the first round, while the overall early turnout in the district was nearly cut in half. Dan Barrett's
victory included a more substantial union presence than that district has shown in a long time."

"Labor's contribution to this great win is a tribute to the hard work of every union volunteer who made calls, distributed flyers, walked the district and talked up the election," Moeller said. "I want to thank - again -- Brother T.C. Gillespie, Brother Tim Smith and the Machinists."

Barrett led a seven-man field in the Nov. 6 first round of the election, with 31 percent of the vote.

He will have to run again in the regular election cycle to retain the post after 2008, but as of the Dec. 18 election, he will be doing so as an incumbent. Shelton said on election night he expects to run again, but he will almost certainly have company in the Republican primary.

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